Ola & other cab services get Google Maps integration on Android

Google Maps, which integrated Uber into its app last year, has added Ola Cabs as the second taxi operator in India to list on the platform. Other than this, Google added new providers in four more countries; 99Taxis in Brazil, Hailo in the UK & Spain, mytaxi in Germany & Spain and Gett in the UK.

As part of the integration, when users search for a destination, an option to book a ride with Uber & Ola show up in the public transportation pane. It also displays an estimated pick up time, time to destination and fare. Google will also update the app to show all of Uber’s offerings, instead of just Uber X.

Note that users need to have the taxi apps installed for the integration to work. The new additions will first roll out to Android users in the next few days, followed by an iOS update. Uber had first rolled out cab service integration on its app in May 2014, starting with Uber in the US.

Ola & Uber’s APIs: In September last year, Ola opened up its API for developers to let developers integrate the platform’s services on their apps. Competitor Uber on the other hand, launched its API in August 2014, a few months after integration into Google Maps. Both APIs let developers integrate various cab services from the respective platforms into their apps.

– In November, Google updated Maps to work offline. This allowed users to search for the location on the Maps app and select the download option to save the area for offline use.

– The same month, Google announced two new offers for Indian businesses and startups, including credits worth $20,000 for Google Cloud Services.

– In October, Google shut down its Great Online Shopping Festival in India (GOSF). The company had started GOSF in 2012 as the Cyber Monday for India to encourage more Indians to shop online by offering them the best of deals across portals.

– In the same month, Google launched a new public transport app called Delhi Public Transport Offline, that lets users check direction and timetable information about New Delhi metros and buses.

– In September, Google announced that it would tie-up with the Indian Railways and RailTel to provide high speed WiFi coverage in 400 stations across India.

– The same month, Google rolled out physical Google Play Gift Cards in retail outlets across India. It also announced IT degrees called Android Nanodegrees and scholarships in partnership with online education platform Udacity and Tata Trusts.